Dangling off the Edge
by Dlbn
Summary: Aoyagi Aidien has passed. At his funeral, the dead shall rise again. Future fic. Dedicated to my cousin Little Jeff and the funeral director Jeff.


Disclaimer: I own nothing but the non-canon characters and the plot. Everything else belongs to Yun Kouga. I make NO money off of writing this.

Dedication: This fic is dedicated to my cousin Little Jeff, who passed away last week from…well, I'm not sure what. I've heard that diabetes got to him, and that he had a heart attack. Doesn't really matter. No one is handling it well, especially his nephew. Poor kid was about to have a break down at the funeral. He was buried Wednesday but I had work training so I couldn't go. Goodbye, Little Jeff. Gone too soon.

Dedication 2: This is also dedicated to the funeral director (also Jeff) and his family for everything they've done for our family. They've buried everyone that's died since last year (my mom, my aunt, my grandmother's husband, my uncle Ralph who STILL isn't buried, and now little Jeff). Thank you for all you've done. Like uncle John said, we keep giving you guys so much business, we should get a commission. Kidding. The funeral director here is modeled after you, Jeff.

Side note: The title of this fic is taken from the song "Bullet" by Hollywood Undead

000

At twenty-seven years old, Aoyagi Ritsuka was certain he'd seen the inside of the funeral parlor too many times in his relatively short life. The first following his brother's 'murder' when he was ten, his mother when he was a teenager, and now his father. He'd call himself the last Aoyagi standing if it wasn't for his uncle's family, and his half-sister and step-mother. He was perfectly okay with his step-mother, Amia, standing closest to the casket with her son from another relationship and the daughter she had with his father. As long as he was up there, it was okay. It was fitting that he'd be so far from his father at the funeral when he'd been so far away from him throughout his living days as well. Having no real relationship with his father lessened the pain, though Soubi insisted it would hit him later like it had when his mother died, and it took until she was lowered into the ground for him to lose it. Aidien wasn't going to be buried next to his ex-wife, considering how volatile their relationship was and the fact that he and Amia had plots next to one another already. He tried to ignore every eerily similar robotic condolences offered by attendees as they made their way up the line, passing his uncle and him to the rest of the family. His grandmother arrived an hour into the visiting hours alone and barely gave him a word before moving on to the rest of the family. He didn't really care. He didn't have a thing to do with his extended family most of his life. The only one that didn't completely despise his father was his uncle Tye.

Soubi handed him a paper cup of water with a small, sad smile. Ritsuka returned the look and took a sip form the cup.

"How are you holding up?" Soubi wondered, standing behind him and massaging his rather tense shoulders.

Ritsuka leaned into the touch, ignoring the dissatisfied glances he was getting from his grandmother.

"I'm fine. But thank you for the water. My mouth was a little dry." Ritsuka replied.

His now more mature, adult voice was almost unrecognizable to even him.

"Hence why I brought you water."

"Cheating." Ritsuka muttered, smirking.

Soubi chuckled. "How rude."

"Ritsuka-kun?" A familiar voice from his childhood greeted him.

Ritsuka smiled at the brunette in front of him. "Shinonome-sensei. what a surprise." He gave her a hug. "Thank you for coming."

"You're welcome." She smiled sadly. "I'm so sorry for your loss. First your mother, now your father? It's been tough, hasn't it?"

"I suppose." Ritsuka shrugged. "I was never really all that close with either of my parents. Mom kicked me out when I was fourteen, and I moved in with his friends." He nodded back at Soubi. "You remember Soubi, don't you?"

"How could I forget?" Hitomi smiled and bowed slightly. "Nice to see you again, Agatsuma-kun. I'm sorry for the circumstances."

Soubi smiled gently and nodded once, knowing the apology was for Ritsuka and not him.

"You remember Diyamase-sensei, yes?" Hitomi nodded at her husband, who was with her and three small children.

"I do. You were Yayoi's sensei, I believe."

He bowed. "That was me. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you."

"Might I ask you something?" Hitomi wondered softly.

"Yes, sensei?"

"Oh, you're not my student anymore. Hitomi is fine by me, Ritsuka-kun."

"Then call me Ritsuka. I'm a little too old for 'kun' now."

She smiled softly. "There's a woman here that keeps glaring at you, I've noticed. Might I ask who that is?"

"Dad's mother." Ritsuka shrugged. "Real old school. She doesn't like me or my brother because of mom. And I don't think she approves of me being with Soubi, but that's not my problem."

"Well then." Diyamase-sensei chuckled softly.

"We won't tie you up any longer. Keep your head up." Hitomi pulled him in for another hug and gave him a peck on the check since he was taller than her now.

"Thanks, Hitomi. We'll see you."

They left, taking the children with them.

"Yuiko is on her way with Yayoi." Soubi informed, leaning forward to Ritsuka's ear.

He still had a few inches on his Sacrifice, but he didn't have to bend to be more at his level anymore.

"And Zero?"

"I'm not certain. I don't think they're coming." Soubi shook his head.

"I'll consider that a blessing." Ritsuka muttered as more people came to offer sympathy he didn't really want.

He recognized a few people from his father's law firm and a couple of his friends from college. A woman he'd dated back then had been bawling her eyes out from the moment she walked in to the moment she left. If Ritsuka didn't know any better, he'd say that Amia was giving her the stink eye as she went past to the casket. Ritsuka recognized a couple women that came in and sat in the back without approaching anyone to be people his father had admitted having affairs with when he was still married to Ritsuka and Seimei's mother. Ritsuka half expected the elder Aoyagi brother to make an appearance and scare the life out of everyone, but he was really hoping he'd stay away. He didn't want to deal with that drama on top of this drama. He spotted a crop of pink hair and smiled. Yuiko and Yayoi were brief with his uncle, but Yuiko practically launched herself at him.

"Oh, Ritsuka." She cried into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

"T-Thanks, Yuiko." Ritsuka awkwardly pat her on the back.

She was an inch taller than him and he was still self-conscious about it, though his height was rather impressive as well.

"Yuiko." Yayoi laughed a little, pulling his wife off their friend. "I'm sorry, Ritsuka."

"I expect it most of the time." Ritsuka adjusted his tie.

"No sigh of the twins." Yayoi commented.

"Thank god." Soubi muttered, making Yuiko crack into a grin and wipe her eyes.

"We got a sitter for the night so we could stay for a little bit for you."

"Thank you." Ritsuka nodded, shoving his hands in his pants' pockets. "Sensei was just here."

"Which one?"

"Sixth grade."

"Hitomi and her husband? Oh, are the kids with them?" Yuiko asked.

"Yeah, they're over there talking to some people." Ritsuka waved at them.

"We should go say hello." Yuiko pulled Yayoi off by the hand.

"Even at a funeral, she's the happiest thing I've ever seen." Soubi muttered into Ritsuka's ear."

"You can say that again." Ritsuka nodded. "Watch my grandmother glare at her now, too."

"No, she's too busy getting an eyeful of the two of us." Soubi chuckled. "Should we give her a show?"

"Not at the funeral, baka. Maybe at the cemetery tomorrow morning."

Soubi chuckled, leaning back as more people came. Though Ritsuka insisted he stand at his side, the blonde was perfectly happy with standing behind him. it was like a battle, but their roles were reversed.

"Hey, Aoyagi."

"Oh…Akame…"

Nisei stood in front of him with Mimuro, his best friend and current love interest. Ritsuka wasn't sure if they'd last very long since Akame was the most antisocial thing he'd ever met, but as long as it kept him out of his hair, he didn't care. He could feel Soubi tense behind him, moving to his side and taking his hand.

"I'm not here for trouble." Nisei put his hands in the air.

"Then why are you here? Seimei send you on his behalf?"

"At least he didn't just show up." Soubi muttered.

"No, Mimuro insisted we come." Nisei rolled his eyes.

"You two might hate each other, but he and I have no issues. Right?" Mimuro asked.

Ritsuka shook his head. "We're okay." He offered. "Your cousin is here." He nodded to where Hitomi and her husband were chattering with Yuiko and Yayoi.

"Oh, right, she was your teacher. I forgot." Mimuro chuckled. "Sorry for your loss. I kind of anticipated your mother, no offense, but not him."

"What happened anyway?" Nisei asked.

Finally, his grandmother's eyes were trying to burn a whole through someone that wasn't Ritsuka.

"Nisei, don't ask that." Mimuro slapped him upside the head playfully. "Sorry."

"Not your fault Akame doesn't know how to play nice with the other kids." Ritsuka rolled his eyes. "A heart attack, Akame."

"Sure, it wasn't…?" Nisei made a drinking motion.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

No sense of decorum in that one.

"Cut the comments short, Akame." Soubi ordered.

Nisei glared, but backed down. He hated being compared to Soubi, and he was certain he was the stronger one, but when confronted with the blonde himself, his bravado was suddenly missing.

"How are you taking it?" Mimuro asked. "I know you weren't close, but he's still your father."

"That's what Soubi said, too." Ritsuka shrugged. "If it's going to hit me with him, it just hasn't yet. But I doubt it will. Mother I at least lived with for a while. Him, not so much. Any time he spent at home is gone with the majority of my memories."

"I thought you had some back?"

"I do, but not everything."

"I see."

Nisei rubbed the back of his neck. "New topic, or can we get out of here? I wanna get back to Mario Kart."

"Of course, you do." Mimuro rolled his eyes. "I wanna see Hitomi for a minute, then we can go." He bowed slightly to Ritsuka. "Good luck, Aoyagi-kun."

"Thank you, Shinonome-san." Ritsuka bowed a little back. "And thanks for coming…you too, Akame."

Nisei gave a small smile, but it was fleeting. "Think nothing of it. I was forced to."

"Sure, you were."

He flushed, flipping Ritsuka off with his left hand as Mimuro pulled him away to give quick condolences to Amia and her kids.

"I wonder when that happened." Ritsuka nodded at Akame's left hand, which sported a small diamond ring. Mimuro's had one on it, too.

"I'm not certain. They didn't have them when we saw them last, did they?"

"We last saw them when I was fifteen."

"Point made."

"Hey, daddy." A feminine voice said as a woman hugged his uncle Tye.

Ritsuka resisted the urge to groan. it was Tye's daughter, Maeko. Ritsuka and her didn't get along much. She picked on him for being poor growing up, he thought she was a stuck up, self-entitled brat. Soubi met her maybe three times since they got together, and he agreed the first day he saw her. She was with her husband, who Ritsuka didn't bother to remember the name of. To him, it was just another faceless man in the crowds.

"Ritsuka." Maeko greeted.

"Maeko."

"Soubi…right?" She asked the fighter.

He nodded. "That's right. Nice to see you again."

"No, it's not." She snorted.

He gave a small smile as her father scolded her at his side. She flushed.

"Good to see you again, Ritsuka. I'm sorry for the circumstances." Her husband bowed. "I don't think we've met." He told Soubi. "I'm Imari Katsuki. Maeko's husband."

"Agatsuma Soubi, Ritsuka's fiancé."

"Oh, congratulations."

"When did that happen?" Maeko wrinkled her nose.

"A few years ago. Why? Is it a problem?"

"It is to Gram." Maeko nodded at her. "Even I can see her writing you out of her will in her head."

"As if I care." Ritsuka rolled her eyes. "She doesn't have anything I would want."

"You sure? Could get you out of that studio you're living in."

"Actually, we live in a two bedroom." Soubi stated. "And we're looking at houses."

"Oh? That's nice."

"Where about?" Katsuki asked.

"Uptown." Soubi stated. "Closer to work."

"Uptown? A big change for you, Ritsuka." Maeko smirked. "You know, living where you lived. Where was that again? The streets?" She laughed.

Ritsuka rolled his eyes. "I've never been homeless. I have people everywhere."

"I can only imagine what you had to do for help." Maeko looked point blank at Soubi, who cocked an eyebrow.

"I hope you're not implying what I think you are, miss." Soubi offered.

Ritsuka squeezed his hand and used his bond to tell him to calm down. "Can it, Maeko."

She smirked. "Whatever you say." She looked at the casket, shuddering when her eyes landed on the body of her uncle. "Open caskets freak me the hell out."

"Most funerals have them." Katsuki informed. "I'm certain ours will, as well."

She crinkled her nose. "No way. I don't want anyone to see me looking like that." She nodded at her uncle. "Gross."

Ritsuka rolled his eyes. "Do you always have your head up your backside?"

"Just what are you trying to say?" She glared, folding her arms over her chest.

"This is my father's _funeral_. Be a little more respectful." Ritsuka warned. "He was there for you when your family had nothing. Show him, and Amia and the kids, some respect."

He could feel the air tightening around him, meaning his powers were about to react to his anger. He willed it back down.  
"We don't discuss that point in time, _Ritsuka_." She muttered through clenched teeth. "Keep your mouth shut."

"Return the favor." Ritsuka offered.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I can say what I want."

"Maeko stop being rude." Her father ordered. "Ritsuka has a point. Show my brother some respect, please." He gave Ritsuka an apologetic look before turning to the next guests in line.

"Yes, daddy." She rolled her eyes. "Always getting me in trouble…"

"Always doing things to get herself in trouble." Ritsuka countered.

"Let's go. I don't want to be here." Maeko told her husband. "Funerals are gross, and I'm rather tired of mingling with the poor."

Ritsuka glared. "When your family had nowhere to go, my father took you in. When we had that ice storm and you lost power, he took you with us to find a place with power to keep warm. And now that he's gone, you're standing at his _funeral_ , down talking him and his family. They're going through enough."

He nodded at Amia, who was bawling into the shoulder of her own father, and his sister who was crying into her mother's leg. His step-brother seemed stoic, but Ritsuka could see his eyes welling as well.

"Fuck, even Akame was civil, and half the time we want to kill one another. When you've sunk to a lower that's lower than his behavior, that's when you've gone too far." He muttered. "Keep your comments to yourself, Maeko. Just because you have money, it doesn't make you better than us."

"Ritsuka." Soubi warned.

His voice was low enough that the only people who could here were those immediately near him, but his powers were starting to pull the room in and suffocate it. The funeral director, a man with greying black hair and thin wire glasses opened a window as if he thought it was just stuffy.

"Listen, you. Don't get all high and mighty on me. At the end of the day, I'll still be fabulous, and you'll still have nothing." She pulled her husband away as he mouthed an apology and gave a curt wave before his wife could notice and freak out on him.

"I'm sorry." Tye told Ritsuka. "I know this isn't easy for you, and she's just making it worse."

"It's alright." Ritsuka stated. "But for god's sake. My father and I barely spoke and I'm not bad mouthing the guy. There's a lot of trash I could talk about him, but I'm not going to."

Tye nodded. "As it should be."

Soubi distracted him by whispering soothing words through their bond and rubbing his back. Ritsuka was barely aware of the door opening, but he started to focus in on the world around him when he noticed the noise level growing thin. A few people were murmuring back and forth, and there were a few gasps here and there. His sister tugged on his leg.

"Ritsuka?" She asked. "Who's that?"

"Who?" Ritsuka looked over to where the crowds were parting like the red sea for someone.

He groaned when he recognized plum eyes and raven black hair on an angelic face that belonged to someone who was anything but. Aoyagi Seimei.

"Figures he'd show up and steal the damn show." Ritsuka muttered.

"I'm a little surprised." Soubi whispered back.

The girl with his brother let go of his arm and latched onto Soubi instead.

"Onii-chan!" She greeted, nuzzling his arm. "I was hoping you'd be here."

He gave her a small smile and pushed her off. "I beg your pardon, Chouma, but I am not your brother."

"May as well be."

"I don't believe it." Tye muttered, taking a step back.

Ritsuka heard his grandmother fall before he saw it. He ignored her as people near her, including the director's son, tried to help her.

"What are you doing here?" Ritsuka asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Seimei wondered, chuckling. "I'm here to see my father."

"You're a few years too late, Seimei, get lost."

"How rude." Chouma giggled, but Ritsuka was certain she didn't care.

He hadn't interacted with her much over the years, but he knew enough to know she was as unstable as his brother, if not more so.

"I assure you, he doesn't really care." Soubi told her.

"Oh, I know. Seimei's the same way." She shook her head. "We have our work cut out for us, don't we?"

Soubi chuckled.

"You seem rather undisturbed…" Tye told his nephew.

Ritsuka shrugged. "I'm not dumb." He stated. "I knew he wasn't dead." He glared.

Seimei put up his hands in a defensive manner.

"And you never said anything?"

"Would you have believed me?" Ritsuka asked. "Say your peace and get lost, Seimei. I'm not in the mood for your bullshit today."

"Ritsuka." Amia whispered, joining him and standing in front of her daughter. "Your brother…?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think we've had the pleasure." Seimei stated. "Aoyagi Seimei." He bowed a little.

"A-Aoyagi Amia…" She returned the greeting.

"Ah, father's new wife. A pleasure, indeed."

"Stop being a gentleman, Seimei; you're not fooling anyone." Chouma ordered, picking at her nails and ignoring his glare.

"She has a point." Soubi offered.

"I didn't ask you." Seimei snarled.

"You didn't have to."

"Soubi, enough." Ritsuka ordered. "You too, Seimei. Don't talk to him like that."

Seimei chuckled. "Fair enough, little brother."

"We're not staying long." Chouma informed. "We have work to do."

"We do?" Seimei wondered.

"That thing Akame forgot to do."

"Hey, keep me out of this." Nisei ordered her, glaring.

Mimuro rolled his eyes. "Both of you, a funeral isn't the place for this."

Ritsuka swore he heard his brother mutter in English, but he ignored it.

"A funeral isn't the place for Seimei to make his debut, but he did it anyway." Ritsuka offered. "Well, go ahead. Go see father."

He and the rest of the room watched Seimei pay his respects.

"I'm certain I'll see you again." Seimei told Ritsuka, offering a hand to Chouma.

She took it and he pulled her to his side.

"Yeah, you always come into my life when I don't want you to."

He chuckled. "Oyasumi, Ritsuka. Amia, nice to meet you." He ignored the children and everyone else at the funeral as he left.

Chouma waved like a movie star walking down the red carpet before Seimei gave her a firm tug out of the building. Nisei and Mimuro followed quickly, Nisei practically at Seimei's heels. Shocker. Even married, he was still his brother's frigging lapdog.

Ritsuka pinched the bridge of his nose. "I take it you know what to do now." He told Soubi.

The blonde sighed. "I suppose I do."

Ritsuka left Soubi alone to cast his spell and went to the bathroom to wash up. A hush had taken over the room again for only a brief second before chatter began as if Seimei had never come inside. Ritsuka splashed water on his face and wiped it off with the back of his arm before staring at himself in the mirror. His reflection never ceased to amaze him, if he was hones with himself. Call it narcissism, but he could stare at himself for hours if he had nothing better to do with his life. It wasn't that he thought he was extraordinarily good looking or anything like that. It just amazed him how much he'd grown over the years because of what he had been through, how he was still here when life did everything it could to try and take him out. If what Seimei had said to him before was right, their father tried to make their mother get rid of him while she was still pregnant. His memory loss took that version of him from the world, but whatever life-giving force was out there had yet to take him out completely. Even now, Units tried their best to eliminate him. He wasn't worried, since Soubi defeated them with ease, but it was annoying.

He barely recognized his earless self sometimes now. His eyes were darker and his voice was deeper, he had a little bit of facial hair that he struggled to keep off his face by shaving every couple of days. But his haircut remained the same. It was a bit longer now, but that was it. He never dyed his hair or pierced anything. He didn't have tattoos, but he'd call his true name a tattoo if anyone asked what it was. Some people had in high school, which made things very awkward because he'd had to deal with teachers and the school therapist asking uncomfortable questions he had to fake the answers to.

A knock on the door woke him from his stupor. He shook his head and gave himself one last once over before opening the door. He came face to face with the funeral director, who smiled gently at him.

"The priest is here." He informed. "I didn't want you to miss the ceremony."

"Oh, thank you." Ritsuka sighed. "You've done a lot for us, sir."

"It's my pleasure. You have a wonderful family, Ritsuka. It's a shame you keep losing them so young. I was surprised about your father."

"Yeah, I was, too. I know he was stressed out, and he didn't really eat all that healthy and he drank, but this wasn't something I imagined."

"Your mother was even more of a shock. Did they ever find out who did it?"

Ritsuka shook his head. "A random act of violence, I guess."

"Such a shame."

He led Ritsuka back to the main room.

"Yeah, a real shame."

000

Everyone was long gone from the graveyard, but Ritsuka remained. Amia and the kids had gone back to their place to have the after gathering, but Ritsuka wasn't in much of an eating mood. Soubi stood nearby, at enough of a distance to give him space but close enough so he would know he was still there and hadn't run off without him for some cheap burgers courtesy of uncle Tye's pathetic grilling attempts. He was glad Soubi was able to erase the memories of everyone who witnessed Seimei's arrival. Him coming was just a giant middle finger to their father, Ritsuka was certain of that. They had hated one another, so his father probably wouldn't have wanted him at his funeral if he had known Seimei was alive and had put it in his will that Seimei was to stay out. He was kind of surprised about Seimei being so close with Chouma, considering he hated touch, but he wasn't too surprised. Akame always cracked jokes about the two of them when they were all younger. It was only a matter of time.

The wind blew Ritsuka's hair annoyingly into his face and he brushed it away.

"Well, this is goodbye for now, dad. Sorry about Maeko. And Seimei." He sighed. "Maeko's a brat and Seimei's an idiot. But I think you knew that." He paused. "I'm not going to make a speech. I said everything I wanted to at the funeral parlor." He shrugged. "Just know that I forgive you for never taking me from mom. You didn't want me in the first place, but you toughed it out. I thank you for that, as well. I just hope you can forgive me for any pain I've caused you. I know you weren't ever happy about Soubi and I, but at least you didn't try to break us up or glare at me every five seconds like Gram does." He laughed. "We're such repeat customers, they should give us a discount."

He stood there in silence for a few minutes more before patting the tombstone awkwardly and leaving to be with Soubi. He loosened his tie as he left the graveyard.

"Do you want to go to the gathering?" Soubi asked once they were about ten minutes away.

"No." Ritsuka shook his head. "I need a drink. Let's just head home so I can get out of these clothes. Maybe we'll go clubbing. I'll call Zero, you handle Akira and Kio."

Soubi chuckled. "If you want. Are you sure you're almost thirty? Drinking and going clubbing with your friends? How mature of you."

Ritsuka chuckled. "Shut up and drive, baka."

"Hai, master."

000

Soubi's fingers tapped a rhythm along Ritsuka's hip bone as they lay in bed together later that night. Ritsuka had had a bit too much to drink, and Soubi was pretty sure it had finally hit him. but it could have been because of his brother and brat cousin. So much on his plate, even though he was no longer being actively sought out by Septimal Moon or any units that he could think of. Even Seimei was leaving him alone nowadays. He probably had Chouma to thank for that. Perhaps he'd send her a thank you card later.

"I miss my dad." Ritsuka muttered.

"Hm?"

"I never got to know him much, you know? I mean, I lived with him for a bit when I left Kio and Akira's place, but it wasn't much. He was always busy working or something."

"I know." Soubi threaded his fingers through Ritsuka's silky midnight black locks.

Ritsuka chuckled. "I'm disappointed my father left so soon. I'm disappointed that I never got to know him or anything. But I forgave him for not wanting me and abandoning me with my mother. That's all that matters."

"Do you think it's hit you yet, Ritsuka?" Soubi informed.

"No, it hasn't." Ritsuka assured him. "After all the funerals I've gone to, all the deaths I've seen…I don't think it ever will."


End file.
